How to Make Cappuccino at Home without an Espresso machine THE BEST Cappuccino of Your Life

How to Make a Cappuccino at Home without a Machine

As fall sets in after all my summer travels there’s nothing I enjoy more than a hot cappuccino at home. There’s some irresistible about a rich espresso topped with a dollop of creamy foam. I have a small kitchen without the space needed for an espresso machine on my counter, so I had to improvise on how to make a cappuccino at home. With very little equipment I’ve managed to make the perfect cappuccino at home without an espresso machine.

We’ve used the Bialetti moka pot for years and it makes an excellent espresso, but it does require a stove to percolate the coffee. The AeroPress I bought originally for work because all you need is hot water to brew the espresso and “press” it out. Both brew rich and delicious espressos perfect for your cappuccino at home.

My absolute favorite espresso beans, which I first discovered in the Dominican Republic, is Cafe Santo Domingo – Find it Here. This espresso is rich and smooth with little acidity or bitterness. I highly recommend you purchase espresso beans or pre-ground espresso when you make your cappuccino at home. The grind is also important and needs to be an espresso ground. Usually, if you buy pre-ground espresso it will already be in an espresso grind. The grind is just as important as the beans because it is a much finer grind than regular coffee.

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How to Froth Milk at Home – The Best Methods

Frothing milk may sound daunting without a milk steamer, but it’s so so simple with this frothing wand – Check Prices Here. It uses two double A batteries so it’s super portable and can be stashed in a drawer. Even more important, this milk foaming wand makes the thickest creamiest milk foam ever for cappuccinos at home. If you want to splurge there is also an automatic milk foamer that will make cold and hot milk foam – Check Prices Here.

Both the automatic milk frother and the hand held milk frother produce milk froth with a rich taste and lavish mouth feel. It’s because they create dense micro-foam and not big bubbles. You’ll see many articles boasting about creating milk foam merely by shaking milk in a mason jar for a minute. That is by far the worst method for making milk froth. It simply does not work, you end up with some bubbly milk and NOT the dense foam you would expect from an espresso bar.

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Now that I’ve covered all the equipment here is the recipe on how to make a cappuccino at home without an espresso machine.

Recipe: Cappuccino at Home

Ingredients

Espresso Ground Coffee (my favorites)

Whole Milk

Cocoa Powder to Garnish

Equipment

Baletti or Aerobie

2 Mugs

Frothing Wand

Instructions

Brew your espresso: Using either the Bialetti or the AeroPress brew your espresso grind beans according to manufacturer instructions.

Steam your milk: Pour about ¼ cup of milk into a mug and microwave it on high for about 30 seconds, or until almost boiling.

Froth your steamed milk: Using the frothing wand, froth your microwaved “steamed” milk. You will create thick creamy foam with the wand and the excess milk will sink to the bottom of the mug.